Friday, August 24, 2007

>> DIY Fix-itExtensive illustrated guides to loads of different DIY projects. For those intimidated by technical terms like wallpaper or plumbing, the beginner’s approach allows you to select which part of the house you want to do something to, and get a list of projects that you could do in that room.

>> NewsbreakerThis variation on the classic arcade game Breakout rewards you for clearing lines of bricks by linking you to headlines for breaking news stories

>> YouTube clip of the week: Newbreaker GameAt the premiere of Spiderman 3 in LA, the cinema audience took part in a demo of a big-screen version of the afore-mentioned Newsbreaker game. The gameplay here was controlled by a motion sensor tracking the movements of the entire audience

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

>> Radio London40 years ago this week, the Marine Offences Bill became law – bringing to an end the reign over the UK’s airwaves of the offshore pirate stations. This is one of the most comprehensive fan sites dedicated to the pirate ships – with a particular emphasis on Radio London whose star roster of DJs included Tony Blackburn, Dave Cash, Pete Drummond, Kenny Everett, John Peel, Keith Skues, Ed "Stewpot" Stewart and Tommy Vance. A true labour of love, the site features over 1000 pages of enthusiastic and expert content. Highlights include a complete set of Radio London Fab Forty charts from 1965 – 67 featuring information and photographs which form a mini-history of the times and music. Also recommended: >> Listen again to Johnnie Walker’s special programme devoted to the last days of offshore pirate radio>> Radio 2 60’s Season>> The Pirate Radio Hall Of Fame

Friday, July 06, 2007

>> Tour De France: OfficialAvailable in 5 different languages, with video, news, history, games, reviews and more. >> Tour De FromagesThis site follows the same route as the cyclists but focuses on the different cheese of the regions the race passes through. Includes a good cheese-catching, cow-avoiding Tour De Fromages game

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

>> Dave Stewart: There Must Be An Angel competitionHere's another online talent quest similar to the Fame Karaoke contest organised by the producers of the current West End production of Fame. On 14th July Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart is performing at the Tower of London, and he’s looking for an unsigned singer to join him on stage to sing the lead vocal on There Must Be An Angel. Prospective entrants can download the lyrics and an mp3 of the backing track. Then just get a friend to film your performance and upload it to the site. Other fans can leave comments and rate each performance, but the final word goes to Dave and producer Glenn Ballard. The winner will also be flown to LA to record the track of their choice in Dave Stewart’s Hollywood studio.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

>> Jock n Roll : Vote for the Top 10 Scottish Albums of all time-timeBack in February we drew your attention to Jock n Roll – which (at the time) was seeking to compile a list of the top Scottish singles of all time. Now the same site has turned its attention to Scottish albums. The rules are stringent: No Rod Stewart (‘as Scottish as Jimmy Hill’), no Snow Patrol (‘they couldn't be any more Irish if they were Guinness’) but Franz Ferdinand are allowed (‘only one of them was born in Scotland but, like Big Country, they're Scottish in every other way’) Submit your vote at Jock n Roll.

Friday, June 15, 2007

>> BBC IntroducingThis new BBC site is the Beeb's 'biggest-ever initiative for unsigned British artists' pulling together Listen Again links and podcasts for new music shows across all BBC radio - whether national or local. There's also advice for unsigned bands about how to submit your music to BBC shows

Nice to see the official site for a big blockbuster film do something a bit different: If you have a webcam you can film yourself and the Flame On site will turn you into a virtual Human Torch. Who Is The Silver Surfer is a wiki, meaning anyone can add to or edit the text to create a definitive guide to Marvel's super heroes whether in comics or on film.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

>> Radio 2 60s Season: Sgt Pepper's 40th Anniversary>> Wikipedia: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandTomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ seminal Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Surprisingly, there is no dedicated content on The Beatles’ (usually excellent) site to mark the occasion, but Radio 2 have invited original Sgt Pepper studio engineer Geoff Emerick to go back into the studio with some of today’s biggest artists to re-record the tracks and demonstrate the techniques used to record the album. You can hear the results in a Radio 2 documentary on Saturday from 2000. We’ll have video footage of exclusive performances from bands including Kaiser Chiefs, Magic Numbers, Stereophonics, Bryan Adams, The Fray and Razorlight online from 2100 on Saturday. Digital TV viewers will also be able to watch these performances by pressing red from any BBC TV or Radio channel from 2100 on Saturday 2 June until Saturday 9 June. >> Oxford DNB: The Summer of LoveMeanwhile to mark the anniversary, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography have created a range of free ‘Summer of Love’ content including an interactive Sgt Pepper album sleeve. Click on 40 of the historical figures featured on the album’s iconic sleeve, to be taken straight through to the full biography for that person.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Turntables.deThanks to self-proclaimed ‘novice bedroom mixer’ Terry the Turntable Tearaway for this email:

Miles, I have some vague recollection of you talking about a virtual scratching site for wannabe DJs a few years back. Am I imagining this? It’s just I think I may need a spot of tuition before I’ll make it to grandmaster level.

Terry – your turntable salvation is at hand in the shape of this online scratch simulator. It comes in both old skool and nu skool flavas. Simply click on one virtual turntable to start your drum loop and hover your mouse above the other one to create your own big beat masterpiece. Messrs Tong, Jules and Oakenfold are now quaking in their boots as you are only a few minutes away from achieving complete mastery of the virtual decks! Also mentioned today: >> Air Scratch

Friday, May 18, 2007

>> FA Cup Final on BBC Sport>> FA Cup final select XIThis nifty interactive tool invites you to select a dream team of your favourite players from both Chelsea and Man Utd squads. Pick your formation, then drag the names from each squad onto virtual pitch. Your can email your dream team to friends for their approval

Also mentioned today: >> Music Club Introduces Justin NozukaWatch Simon Mayo’s exclusive video interview with the hotly tipped singer-songwriter, and Listen Again to his Music Club concert for 7 days from 2100 on Saturday 19 May

>> The Three MonkeysIn this game you control three lithe simians with your mouse. Catch the falling fruit, but duck to avoid any tumbling cartoon artillery.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

>> SellabandHats off to the team on the BBC World Service’s Digital Planet show for bringing this site to our attention.Sellaband is a fascinating experiment which aims to help unsigned bands record with professional producers. Part MySpace and part Dragon’s Den, the site matches up bands with fans and would-be investors to fund studio time. Fans are invited to buy shares in a band's A & R and studio time. Once a CD is recorded the tracks are made available for free download from Sellatime and any revenue generated by advertising is split equally between the site, the band and the investors. It’s free for fans to listen to any of the demos posted on Sellanband, so even if you have no interest in investing, it’s a good place to hear new music. >> BBC World Service: Digital Planet on Sellaband